13-15 - Montpelier

THE BRIDGE
OCTOBER 7, 2010 • PAGE 13
Discovering a Delicious Dinner, Downtown
by Sylvia Fagin
M
any famous chefs declare in the forward to their cookbooks that the
best meal you can have is at home.
This does beg the question of how they got
famous in the first place. It also leads one to
wonder: What if I want to go out? Do I have
to spend all day cooking at home to get a
great dinner?
With the right celebrity cookbook and
several hours of free time, you probably can
make an amazing meal in your own kitchen.
But residents and visitors in the capital city
need not worry. In Montpelier you can easily find a fabulous dinner at many downtown
restaurants, served to you with a genuine
smile.
In the south end of town, Italian prevails.
For more than 15 years, Sarducci’s has offered a huge array of Mediterranean-inspired
favorites—veal parmesan, shrimp scampi,
chicken cacciatore, and full-flavored pasta—
to sate any appetite. Co-owners Dorothy Korshak and Carol Paquette started the restaurant in 1994, and it has evolved into one of
Montpelier’s most sophisticated eateries.
It’s big enough to feel like you’re somewhere else, and the hostesses who greet and
seat do so with the grace and efficiency of
their big-city counterparts. Families with
young children often enjoy sitting near the
wood-fired pizza oven, so the kids can watch
the action, and there’s plenty of romantic tables for two tucked away throughout the
Carol Paquette and Dorothy Korshak at Sarducci’s. Photo by Sylvia Fagin.
warmly-decorated dining room.
Every time I’m at Sarducci’s there’s a bit
party of some sort, a dozen people laughing
with shared and genuine mirth, and that in- the back, topped with fresh garlic, spicy Black Door serves an incredibly popular
fuses the restaurant with a joyful atmos- sausage and pungent pesto. The unique light- hamburger. Jess Turner, owner of the downphere. Sarducci’s is my go-to restaurant ing elements suspended from the ceiling lend town cooking supply store Capital Kitchen,
when parents or guests are visiting from out an air of whimsical fun to the dining room.
raves about it: “Hands down” the best
of town. The service is superb, and I can
Some informal straw-polling suggests that burger in town, she says.
confidently say “order anythe Black Door is a widelyShe’s not the only one who loves the
thing, it’s all great”—I’m alheld favorite among resi- Black Door. Rilla Murray of Montpelier says
the pleasures of dents. Chef Matthew it’s her favorite place in town because it’s
ways right.
Just around the corner is
Bilodeau loves to play with got “great atmosphere, always good food,
Angeleno’s Pizza, a smaller,
the freshest local ingredients and a friendly crowd at the bar.” Carrie
cozier place that offers New
he can get his hands on, and Baker Stahler, also of Montpelier, appreciYork–style pizza, calzones
has fostered relationships ates the fact that she can enjoy a meal there
and baked subs to eat in or
with many Vermont farmers, “even with a toddler in tow.”
take out. Portions are
meat producers and cheeseFor those times when she wants to enjoy
hearty, there’s something
makers in order to do so. He a special meal with family, Northfield resifor everyone’s taste and it’s
adjusts the menu seasonally dent Kim Scott is a big fan of J. Morgan’s
popular with young people,
and offers several specials al- Steakhouse in the Capitol Plaza hotel. The
who frequently request dining there for most every day, so you’re as likely to try meat, she says, is “superb,” and the Caesar
their family birthday dinner.
handmade pasta in a three-meat sauce as you salad is big enough to be a meal, especially
Further downtown, Positive Pie 2 also are yellow chard and caramelized onions when topped with fried calamari. She likes
serves pizza, as well as pastas, sandwiches topped with melted Tarentaise cheese from to save room for dessert, declaring, “their
and salads. I love the “Garden of Eden” Springbrook Farm in Reading, Vermont.
desserts are the best ever.” Scott describes
salad—fresh mixed greens with cucumber,
Among all this playful kitchen creativity, the carrot cake as “scrumptious” and the
red onion, broccoli, spiced tofu and feta and there is some consistency as well. The steak chocolate desserts as “heaven.”
topped with lemon tahini dressing—but is always tender, juicy, and cooked perfectly
Plus, it’s an easy place to truly relax. “The
that’s just me. For most folks the salad is not to temperature. Any night of the week, a atmosphere is like a comfortable den,” she
the draw, but rather the pizza, hand-tossed in glance at diners’ plates will confirm that the notes.
Dining
At Royal Orchid Thai, owner Art Jilandharn
makes every meal special with the fresh
flowers he insists adorn the tables—and the
genuine kindness with which he greets
every customer. Four Thai cooks work in the
Royal Orchid kitchen, bringing Jilandharn’s
mother’s recipes to life for Vermont diners.
Sharing is the order of the day at Royal Orchid, as diners reach across the table to try a
taste of their dining companion’s curry, pad
thai, or satay. Despite the serenity on the
faces of the Buddhas on display—in painting
and sculpture—the cuisine can be made
spicy enough to make you cry, so order carefully.
A glance at my own bookshelf will confirm that I do love the idea of creating a great
dinner at home—and sometimes, I succeed.
But it’s nice to know that a wonderful meal,
and an indulgent dining experience awaits
me right downtown.
Sylvia Fagin writes about local food
and agriculture. Contact her via her blog
“Aar, Naam ~ Come, Eat,” at sylviafagin.
wordpress.com, or via e-mail at sylvia
[email protected].
Lundy Bancroft
Is Coming to Montpelier for Domestic Violence Awareness Month
Have you or anyone you know experienced domestic violence?
Circle (formerly Battered Women’s Services & Shelter) presents Lundy Bancroft,
who will give a free public presentation about supporting mothers and children
as they heal from the experience of domestic violence. Bancroft is the author of
Why Does He Do That?, The Batterer as Parent, and When Dad Hurts Mom.
Monday, October 18, 2010 at 6:00 PM
Noble Hall Lounge, Vermont College of the Fine Arts College Street, Montpelier, VT
For more Info: 877-543-9498
eat local eat local eat local eat local eat local eat local eat local eat local eat local
PAGE 14 • OCTOBER 7, 2010
THE BRIDGE
A Taste of Barre
by Marsha Barber
S
ampling restaurants in Barre turned out
to be more time-consuming than
planned. It seemed that every time I
turned a corner, there was an eating establishment just waiting to be explored. While
there wasn’t time to visit each one, what follows are highlights of Barre’s culinary offerings.
Lucia’s Italian Restaurant & Bar, at 276
North Main Street, is a true purveyor of
earthy Italian food—never mind that its owners Lucy and John Fath are French Canadian.
I enjoyed the food so much I went back
twice. On my fist visit, I had the penne pomodoro, a delightful blend of penne pasta
with fresh tomatoes and basil, garlic, onions
and a splash of the restaurant’s succulent
marianara sauce. On my second visit—since
I’m obsessed with sampling the meatballs at
every Italian restaurant in the area—I had the
fettucine with meatballs, along with Lucia’s
signature creamy tomato soup (which featured large delicious chunks of fresh tomatoes). I was not disappointed on either front.
The meatballs were firm, well-seasoned and
quite tasty. Max, Lucy and John’s son, chatted with me on my first visit about the restaurant’s philosophy
“We like bringing people in from out of
town. People don’t necessarily think of Barre
as a dining destination, but we’re trying to
change that.” He notes that people come
from Montpelier, Northfield and points
north to dine at Lucia’s. On pretty much any
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Cheyenne Roberts and Eric DelToro, owners of the Pit Stop Diner. Photo by Marsha Barber.
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THE BRIDGE
OCTOBER 7, 2010 • PAGE 15
evening, the dining room—lovingly restored
with arches and other architectural touches
reminiscent of Italy—is filled with diners enjoying food and drinks. The superb wine list
offers everything from a $65 bottle of Tattinger Brut champagne to a $19 bottle of
Beringer white zinfandel, with even lowerpriced wine choices. Vermont microbrews
are to be had on draft. Courtesy of chef
Michael Kennedy, seafood offerings include
a superb ciopinno (a seafood soup with
clams, mussels, shrimp, scallops and whitefish in a saffron tomato broth), as well as
herb-crusted salmon and shrimp scampi. For
vegetarians, fresh artichoke hearts are big on
the menu at Lucia’s.
The Pit Stop Diner, at 240 North Main
Street, was beyond a pleasant surprise. I’ve
walked by the place many times and imagined a small, dark hole in the wall where
people—if it was allowed by law—chainsmoked and commiserated. Not so. The Pit
Stop is large and brightly lit with green
booths and stools and red tables. Speaking of
atmosphere, the place is decorated with all
things NASCAR. Eric DelToro and his fiancée, Cheyenne Roberts, own the diner.
Roberts comes from a well-known racing
family. Her father, Ricky, uncle Kendall (his
car won the popular Milk Bowl this year)
and various other family members are local
celebrities at Barre’s Thunder Road.
Breakfast is served all day (the place closes
at 2 p.m.). On my first visit (yes, I went here
Marsha Barber samples appetizers at Lucia's
twice, too) I ordered a classic burger and
fries. The burger was a full half-pound, perfectly cooked medium, as I ordered it. And
On Saturday when I stopped in for breakthe fries. Oh, the fries. Hand-cut from Ver- fast, I ran into Dan Scobie, a regular who has
mont potatoes (“We tried Canadian pota- eaten at The Pit Stop every day for the last
toes, but they got soggy on the plate,” Del- three years. “I always get the breakfast sandToro says, explaining that it’s all about the
wich—sausage, egg and
starch content.)
cheese,” he says. “It’s the
The Pit Stop is a true commubest in town.”
nity diner, catering to loyal reguthe pleasures of
In a nod to his Hispanic
lars. The place has been in the
heritage, DelToro feasame location since the 1940s.
tures an authentic Cuban
“Even when our regulars don’t
sandwich on the menu—
show up to eat, they pop in to
the only one to be found
say hello,” says DelToro. “If they
in Barre, to our knowldon’t come in for awhile, we call
edge. “This is the real
them. There’s a real family atthing,” says DelToro.
mosphere here. The customers
“There’s no commercial
know each other and us.” In
sliced pork. I slow cook
fact, customers feel so much at home, ac- my own pork and don’t add any embellishcording to DelToro, that they often bus their ments. I want it be like a truly authentic
own tables and help themselves to coffee Cuban sandwich you’d get from a sandwich
when the place is busy—which he considers truck in the city.”
a true compliment.
Giving back to the community is big on
Dining
Italian Restaurant in Barre. Photo by Annie Tiberio Cameron.
DelToro’s list. Every Thursday morning, the
diner opens at 5:30 a.m. offering breakfast
for Barre school staff and teachers.
I found the region’s most perfect chef’s
salad down the street from the Pit Stop.
Basil’s Pizzeria Restaurant is known for its
pizza and pasta—and it’s a well-deserved
honor. The pizza is cheesy, fresh and delicious. Owner Basil Vlahakis, who has owned
the restaurant for two and a half years, notes
that he doesn’t have to advertise. “It’s all
word-of-mouth,” he says. A recent addition
of broaster chicken by the bucket has added
to the restaurant.
Simply Subs, also on Barre’s Main Street, is
a great spot to pick up a meatball sandwich
or a slice of pizza on the way home from
work. Salads, subs and every other imaginable type of sandwich round out the menu.
China Town Restaurant offers a big-city
menu in a small town. Walk right up to the
counter and order your favorite combination
plate: curry chicken and hot-and-spicy beef
are just a couple of favorites.
If you’re in a hurry for lunch, Barre Dogs
offers every combination of all-beef hot
dogs. For the vegan and vegetarian, not to
worry: There’s a no-meat dog for you.
Soup ’N’ Greens features the best corn
chowder inland; it’s on the menu every
night along with two other soup choices.
Steak, seafood and sandwiches round out a
hearty menu. Burgers are big here; too.
Bring a hefty appetite because portions are
generous.
The Ladder Grill at the old Barre firehouse
offers appetizers, soups, burgers and their
specialty, hero sandwiches—thus their
motto, “The Ladder Grill, where heroes are
made.”
This is a small sampling of restaurants to
be found in Barre. Put on your walking shoes
and head out to find more hidden gems.
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